LAKEPORT >> Almost a year and a half after the Clayton Fire tore through Lower Lake, alleged arsonist Damin Anthony Pashilk has yet to face a jury.
This time, the delay has little to do with normal court procedures and the deliberate pace of critical cases.
Defense Attorney Jeffrey David Markham, 48, initially represented Pashilk. However, after Judge Richard Martin announced last year that he planed to retire, Markham was named to replace the judge on the bench.
Markham will serve the Lake County Superior Court after his appointment in December by Governor Jerry Brown, one of 33 appointees statewide. He will be sworn on February 9, commencing his judicial assignment February 12.
With that, Defense Attorney Mitchell Hauptman will now represent Pashilk.
Pashilk is facing 19 arson charges related to a series of fires in the summer of 2016. Three of those charges relate to the Clayton Fire, which began its enormous roar on August 13, 2016. The blaze burned almost 4,000 acres and destroyed 300 structures, including 180 homes.
While Pashilk pled not guilty to all charges, law enforcement conducted a further investigation of his possible involvement in the fires. Video surveillance at the start of earlier fires reportedly captured images of a vehicle in the area. After identifying the car, authorities were able to track and arrest Pashilk.
The preliminary hearing is set for February 22 at 8:15 a.m. in a department yet to be announced.
The defendant was transported from Butte County Jail to a maximum-security unit at the Hill Road Jail in Lakeport.
Pashilk will return to Butte County Jail after the motion to withdraw his defense attorney on January 30 at 8:15 a.m. in Department Four.
